Making Seth Happy
by Molly4
Summary: Just a sappt happy fic set in early first season. Some fatherson bonding with SandySeth and SandyRyan. (non-slash.) What happens when Sandy and Ryan team up to make Seth happy. Again, giving Seth a little more angst than he usually has on the show.


A/N: Anyway, it is a sweet little fanfic, (a little SethSummer, but not great heaping amounts. Please review.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this fanfic. Peter Gallagher's eyebrows belong to him. Everything else belongs to FOX.  
  
Is anybody else madly in love with Adam Brody? Yeah. I thought so. BTW, it's set a few weeks after "The Girlfriend"  
  
Making Seth Happy  
  
By: Molly  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Ryan padded softly through the Cohen house. It was well past midnight and he couldn't sleep. He'd wandered into the house looking for a snack, or maybe to see if Seth was still awake. An hour or two of video games might numb his mind enough to lull him to sleep.  
  
Seth's bedroom door was slightly ajar, and Ryan smiled. He heard a humming kind of noise. Seth was probably surfing the internet or reading more Kerouac or whatever it was that Seth did when he was alone.   
  
Ryan was about to call Seth's name, but he stopped. Peering through the door he saw Sandy sitting, perched on the edge of Seth's bed. Seth lay sprawled out, his breathing rhythmic in the way that only a sleeping person could pull off. Ryan knew that he should've turned and left, but something inside him would not let him move.   
  
Sandy Cohen sat quietly on the edge of his son's bed, a soft smile on his face. He enjoyed watching Seth sleep; there was something so calming and reassuring about it. Sandy remembered with a slight frown, the insomnia that Seth had suffered from fifth to ninth grade; the long nights, the tired mornings. Seth had always laughed it off but Sandy had suspected at the time that his difficulty sleeping was linked to general unhappiness.   
  
Sandy shook his head. That was all behind them now. Seth was okay. He was cool. Ryan had said so. The smile returned to his face. Seth looked so peaceful.  
  
Sandy stood up with a tiny sigh. He had to go to his own bed, or he'd be grouchy in the morning. He wished he wasn't always so busy to hang out with his son when he awake. He tried hard to be the best father, but he knew he came up short way too often. Still, Sandy was doing the best that he could, which was more than he could ever say about his own dad.  
  
Gently, Sandy tucked Seth's blanket under his chin. He touched Seth's face softly, remembering the little boy who was so happy all the time. With a nostalgic smile on his face, Sandy bent down and kissed Seth tenderly on the side of his head. Seth did not stir.  
  
Ryan felt guilty, as if he'd barged in on a totally private father-son moment that he had absolutely no place in. He was about to turn and go back to the pool house when Sandy looked up and spotted him.  
  
Sandy looked momentarily embarrassed for having been caught in the act of showing affection for his teenage son. However, he straightened up quickly and seemed pleased to see Ryan.  
  
"Ryan..uh, just the man I was looking for," Sandy blurted out. "Let's go into the living room."  
  
The shuffled quietly down the hall and into the dimly lit living room. Ryan flopped down on an armchair, while Sandy threw himself onto the couch with a sigh.  
  
"Sorry," Ryan mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck.  
  
Sandy waved it off. "It's no problem." He sighed heavily. "Just don't tell Seth, huh?" He gave Ryan a weak smile.  
  
"You do that every night?" Ryan asked, feeling a little twinge in his heart. He couldn't remember his dad ever being so affectionate with him.   
  
"Yeah," Sandy answered quietly. "Just about."  
  
There was an awkward lull in the conversation and both Sandy and Ryan felt significantly uncomfortable. Suddenly, Sandy sat up straight and leaned towards Ryan, looking hopeful.  
  
"Listen, Ryan," he began. "I need to ask you for a favor."  
  
Ryan gave a little nod. He wasn't sure what to say.  
  
"It's Seth's birthday this Friday."   
  
Ryan arched an eyebrow. He'd never heard anything about it. No subtle hints for a leather jacket or anything. No party plans. Nothing. That struck him as sort of odd.  
  
"He never lets us make a big deal about it. He's refused to have a party after what happened at his eighth birthday party." Sandy twisted his wedding ring around his finger.  
  
"What happened?" Ryan asked quietly.  
  
Sandy looked Ryan up and down, as if deciding whether he could be trusted with the information or not.   
  
"You tell Seth I told you and I'll ring your neck," Sandy said seriously.   
  
Ryan nodded.  
  
"He was turning eight and we were throwing him a big party. I made him invite all of the kids in his class- you know, don't leave anybody out and all that." Sandy ran a hand through his hair. It seemed to be a painful memory for him.  
  
"And nobody came?" Ryan asked, wincing.   
  
Sandy shook his head sadly. "They all came. Every kid. Seth was so excited he was about to bust a gut." Sandy rubbed his hands over his face, looking exhausted and about ten years older than he had a minute earlier. "Nobody paid the slightest bit of attention to him. He got two mumbled 'happy birthdays' and some pretty crappy presents. All the kids ignored him and talked amongst themselves." Sandy sighed. "So...we brought out the cake to try and get people focused on Seth. While Kristen and I sang, they went on talking and laughing."  
  
Ryan felt a jolt of pity for Seth. Birthdays had been one of the few fond memories he had of Chino. His mom would buy him a cake from the store and light a bunch of candles. Sure, she's use the same flame to light her cigarette, but it was still nice. Trey would sing and give him a few presents, mostly stolen, but it was the thought that counted. To live in one of the richest neighborhoods and never have a decent birthday would have to suck.  
  
"Seth's whole face crumpled. He ran off crying, and not one of those kids even noticed." There was genuine anger in Sandy's voice.  
  
Ryan chewed on that for a moment, knowing that Marissa was one of those kids. What was she doing during that time? Giggling over Luke? Talking with Summer about boys and nail polish?  
  
"What'd you do?" Ryan asked hoarsely.   
  
Sandy shrugged. "I dropped my dorky dad camcorder and chased after him. Kristen kept the party going, the saint." Sandy sighed. "I sat with Seth in his room all day. I let him cry, let him yell, let him break stuff. Poor kid." He shook his head sadly. "Since then, he lets me take him to the mall on his birthday. I give him two hundred dollars, he goes crazy, and buys frivolous crap." Sandy paused. "Then we have lunch.....Seth likes to humor me."  
  
"Wow," Ryan mumbled softly.  
  
"Yeah," Sandy replied. He cleared his throat. "Seth always gets a little depressed around his birthday. I was thinking maybe you could help me out. It wouldn't have to be huge. Just....a few people. Cake. Presents. We'd have to lavish attention on him." Sandy smiled eagerly. "What do you say?"  
  
"Sure," Ryan answered firmly. He felt it his duty to show Seth a good time on his birthday.  
  
"It'd have to be a surprise," Sandy added. "Seth would never go for it if he knew."  
  
Ryan nodded. "Of course."  
  
"So you think you could get a few people to come?" Sandy asked, sounding much more confident than he had earlier.  
  
"Sure," Ryan answered. "I'll get Marissa to help." Marissa was probably still mad at him after catching him making out in the pool house, but she had a certain affection for Seth. She'd probably help out.  
  
"Okay. Thank you, Ryan. You don't know how much this means to me." Sandy looked grave. "I just hate seeing him unhappy."  
  
Both Sandy and Ryan stood up. There was an awkward moment.  
  
"Well...I'd better go to sleep," Ryan muttered.  
  
"Okay," answered Sandy, running a hand through his hair.  
  
Sandy moved a step closer and wrapped Ryan into a gentle, fatherly hug. Ryan returned it weakly- he was not used to physical closeness- but he appreciated more than he could ever say. He felt like he belonged somewhere for once. He belonged with the Cohens.  
  
"Thank you," Sandy whispered, and they retreated to their respective beds.  
  
********************************  
  
Sandy pulled into the driveway. Seth sat in the passenger seat, a pensive frown on his face. A dozen or so shopping bags sat in the back seat.  
  
It was Friday and all week Seth had been quiet and sulky, never once mentioning his upcoming birthday. In order to keep up the surprise, Sandy had taken him to the mall and watched his son buy video games, books, t-shirts, and other miscellaneous crap. They had made polite small talk and Seth seemed like he had at least appreciated Sandy's effort, so it wasn't really a failure.  
  
"You have a good time spending my money?" Sandy asked, grinning a little.  
  
"Yeah. Thanks Dad," Seth replied politely. He didn't smile. He didn't make some witty, rambling reply. Just three words. With a sigh, he stepped out of the car and grabbed a few bags from the back. He walked towards the house, his eyes glued to the ground.  
  
Sandy followed him, carrying the remaining bags while fishing the front door key out of his pocket. "Happy birthday Seth," he told his son quietly as he turned the key in the lock.  
  
"Thanks Dad," Seth mumbled, throwing him a large and unconvincing grin.  
  
Sandy patted his son's back gently and opened the door, hoping to God- assuming He existed- that Ryan had pulled it off. Ryan wasn't exactly Mr. Orange County; could he get enough people to come?  
  
Seth knew something was up as soon as he walked into the dark hallway. He could hear Nirvana playing from somewhere and he wondered for a second if he had left his stereo on again. He knew it couldn't be a party; not after the fiasco at his eighth birthday party. He took a tentative step towards the living room.  
  
"Dad? What's going on?" Seth asked quietly.  
  
The lights flicked on and a great yell of "Surprise!" filled the air. For one second Seth could not move. Was he dreaming?  
  
No, it appeared that he was not. A large crowd of people stood in his living room, all giving him gleaming smiles. He turned his head and saw his father beaming at him proudly. Seth knew he was involved in it somehow.  
  
He wasn't sure how to feel. A tiny part of him was scared that everyone was going to ignore him again and like last time he'd run away crying. And like last time his dad would come in and make weak attempts at comforting him. And like last time he'd be so upset that he'd refuse to sleep unless his dad slept in bed with him. And like last time his dad would wrap his arms around him and stroke his hair and whisper words about what a wonderful person he was while he cried.  
  
Seth was pulled into the crowd by an abnormally excited Ryan. He felt his fear slide away. Maybe they were there for him. People surrounded him, some people he'd never spoken to in his life. He suspected they would have never shown up if it hadn't been for Ryan and Marissa, but he didn't care. For once, nobody was laughing at him.  
  
"Happy birthday, man!" Ryan yelled over the music. He gave such an unnaturally large grin that Seth knew that Sandy had told him everything. Still, he did not care.   
  
"Thanks," Seth answered. "This is...cool." He was, for once, at a loss for words, though the shock was beginning to wear off a bit.   
  
He went through the formalities; people he didn't know wishing him a happy birthday, shaking hands or hugging, depending on their gender. He knew they were forced to do so, probably by Marissa, but he didn't care. Not everything could be right with the world.  
  
Summer approached him while he was standing in the corner, admiring the party with a soft smile. Seth didn't know what to say to her. They hadn't talked since his recitation of her mermaid poem. Seth could feel Sandy watching him. He suddenly felt very uncomfortable.  
  
"I..I also remember in the seventh grade when you bitch slapped Tara Harper because she killed the class newt, Zeke," Seth blurted out, hoping she didn't notice the salsa stain on his polo shirt.  
  
"Shut up," Summer shot back.   
  
Without warning, Summer grabbed his face and planted seventeen long and luscious kisses on Seth's lips. All in front of his father. Seth felt dizzy.  
  
Summer, her face red, looking shy and humble- completely unlike her- stumbled off into the crowd. Seth hoped he'd see her again before the night was over. With a giddy smile on his face he ambled over to the dark corner where Sandy stood, watching the scene with a bemused smile. He had to thank him for his part in it. Though he hoped that his dad would not remind him how hot Summer was. That was just nasty.   
  
"Hey," Seth greeted his dad, jamming his hands in his pockets, feel nervous.  
  
"Hey," Sandy replied enthusiastically. He paused, frowned. "I'll leave if you want me to. Don't wanna salt your game."  
  
Seth shook his head. "It's okay," he said quietly. "I just wanted to say thanks." He smiled, a true Seth smile. "This is uh, it's really great, you know? I mean, it's cool. Thanks."  
  
Sandy's face split into a wide grin and he reached his arms out and hugged Seth tightly.   
  
Seth smiled a little. He thought about how sometimes his dad came in at night when he thought he was sleeping and tucked him in, just like he was a little kid. Then he'd kiss him, which, in a weird, embarrassing sort of way, he liked. He knew Sandy had had a pretty rotten father, and Ryan's dad was in jail. Seth could fully appreciate having a dad like Sandy.   
  
Sandy kissed the top of Seth's head tenderly.  
  
Seth pulled back a little, glancing around furtively. "Better not put too much salt in my game," Seth explained, half-joking. He had to keep it light. He wasn't good with too much affection.  
  
Sandy grinned. "I'll get out of here," he said. "Go surfing or something. I'm meeting your mother for dinner later." He paused. "No drinking. No drugs. Have fun."  
  
"Thanks Dad."  
  
Seth reentered the crowd, a big smile pasted on his face. Sure, most of the kids there were probably just there as a favor to Marissa, and pretending like he mattered as a favor to Marissa, but he could not care one bit.  
  
Seth Cohen was happy. 


End file.
